This series consists of correspondence between Thesen and other poets, writers, professors, and personal acquaintances from 1972-1989. The letters range from business to personal matters. The records feature correspondence from prominent writers like Michael Ondaatje, Phyllis Webb, Judith Fitzgerald, Ken Norris, etc. Within the letters are poems, articles, newspaper clippings, and various other items.

This series consists of Thesen’s personal journals, which also contain other files within them. These journals and items range from 1966 to 1989, although many of the items do not have a specific date. The journals for the most part are of Thesen’s personal life, thoughts and feelings about what was happening in her life during the time of writing. The journals are categorized loosely in chronological order, although this is not a hard and fast rule. The entries inside are dated by month and day, but rarely year, and do not appear to follow any other schemes of organization. The files contained within the journals covers a wide range of dates and file types as well. The files inside include letters, notes, sketches, and other miscellaneous files. There are several persons mentioned which include her children, other poets, and her romantic partners.

This series consists of Thesen’s work as well as other collections such as correspondence, notes, and essay drafts. The date of the files range from 1969 to 1989. The production of the records appears to be for the purpose of preparation for publication. Many of the files in the record are annotated or edited in some way, assumed by Thesen herself. The files are loosely collected by poem series, although other files are frequently inserted. The correspondence cover areas including the publishing of either poetry, essays, or reviews of other writing.

The fonds documents Sharon Thesen’s personal and professional life as a poet, editor, and professor from 1961 to 1989. All records in the fonds were collected by Thesen herself, and are primarily composed of correspondence, journals, and creative work. Most of the creative work is composed of drafts and edited versions of Thesen’s own poetry, essays, and articles, but also includes work sent to her for review. While most of the records are textual, there are a small number of pictures and postcards that were sent to and taken by Thesen, and are mostly of a personal nature. Notably, a large section of the fonds is made up of letters that include correspondence between other published and acclaimed authors such as Michael Ondaatje, Christopher Dewdney, Lola Lemire Tostevin, Ken Norris, Judith Fitzgerald, Phyllis Webb, Gerald Burns, and others. Lastly, the fonds also includes Thesen’s journals from the mid-60s to the mid-80s which contain her daily activities, her personal thoughts, as well as some of her creative work.
The fonds is arranged into three different series, Chronological Files, Journals, and Personal & Professional Records, as per the internal organization of the records. The main forms of these records are textual records, but also include graphic/photographic materials and mixed media. The records are arranged chronologically and intellectually within the series.